‘What The Fur’ Slides?

Womens Slide Shoes

If you’re not quite sure what you think about wearing slides as sandals, you’ve come to the right place.

Me neither, so I decided to investigate a bit more and invest a modest $23 to get in on the action and make my own mind up.

Before I get in to my experience wearing them as sandals, I thought it would be interesting to share some back story.

A Brief History

Depending on your age, you may remember these from the 70’s when they were mostly worn as shower shoes.

Some people also wore them in a sporty setting and/or poolside. That’s how I mostly remember them and in those days, I definitely wasn’t attracted to them at all.

Anything these slides could provide by way of hygiene and convenience, could be found in a pair of Haviana’s flip flops. Which were comfortable and more stylish, at least in my eyes. How about you?

However, it really began in the late 60’s when Adidas designed a shower shoe for the German football team. Foot hygiene was the main goal and these slides were perfectly designed for keeping tootsies out of germs way.

I believe around the early 70’s these shoes were called Adidas Adilette and marketed as the ‘go anywhere’ sports shoe.

Some people wore them to the pool and others with socks! Each to their own. Personally, I still wasn’t feeling it.

The slide didn’t disappear it just hung around in the background and not on fashion pages, that’s for sure.

That was until we hit the 2000’s.

Mark Zuckerburg’s Influence

In 2006, the New York Times published a photo of the Facebook founder wearing a velcro pair along with a dress jacket, white shirt and jeans.

His fashion statement probably missed the attention of most, until the release of the movie The Social Network in 2010.

Throughout the movie, Adidas slides were heavily featured with and without socks. Who knew!

2013 Luxe Fashion House Debuts Slides

No-one saw it coming, but three years later Chloe, as part of their 2014 Resort collection, debuted the ‘Now or Never’ slide. They cost around $800…that’s not a typo. They were a whopping $800!

That’s when the luxe influence started and albeit not everyone loved it then, it still continues today.

Gucci, Givenchy, Fendi and many more luxury designers have their own luxe slide available. They’re generally not as expensive as the Chloe version, but they’re not inexpensive either.

The Original Adidas Adilette

They’ve definitely stood the test of time. By most criteria, if they were a luxury handbag they would be known as a classic style!

They’re still available today and often sold out.

Starting at a modest $35 for the basic version their are also lots of options. They can be completely customized by ordering online at Adidas, which pushes the price up quite a bit.

A pair like these can be found at Nordstrom and other premium locations, as well as Adidas own stores. White socks, optional of course.

My Thoughts & What Might Interest You

Honestly, since they came back in vogue, I’ve looked at these sandals many times and turned my nose up at them. I thought they were anything but stylish.

My thought was “What the heck are these people thinking?”

However, as time went on and I kept seeing them on Instagram my resistance weakened, and the eye rolling stopped.

They certainly weren’t on my Wish List but I wasn’t quite as horrified by the idea of them.

Save Or Splurge?

Over the years, I’ve made enough expensive mistakes so I do my best to avoid that now.

If there is something expensive I like but am not completely sure I would wear or how to style, I buy a less expensive alternative to start with. That way I can see how often I reach for the item, if it easily blends with my style and if I enjoy wearing it.

If the item ends up really working out, then I invest in the expensive option.

Living in sunny Southern California, sandals can be all year round foot wear for me. I may yet invest in a Gucci pair. We’ll see, as I’m sticking with my ‘test out the inexpensive option first’. Good old Target to the rescue again!

ps:
One thing I did reflect on as I wrote this; it’s always good to be open minded, at any age. It’s an easy way to stay relevant and flexible vs being closed off and stuck in the mud. And I’m talking about with everything, not just a pair of slides!

Bren

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